Wooden aging barrel



SePtl, 1942- M. GALLAGHER l 2,294,744

WOODEN AGING BARREL File@ Aug. 17, 19:59

I@ MQLTMUX Patented Sept. l, 1942 UNITI-:1u STATES MEN T OFFICE comme This invention relates to woodenv aging barrels, that is to say, barrels intended 'for the aging of liquids suchas whiskey.

In aging whiskey, for example, considerable outage, i. e., loss of whiskey, occurs due principally to evaporation from the barrel. While the rates at which evaporation proceeds from different sections of a wooden aging `barrel are not known, one would normally expect them to be inversely proportional to the thickness of the different sections, particularly since the overall outage of thick barrels is proportionately less than that of thin barrels during the same period of time. I have discovered, however, that this is not strictly true and that a substantial reduction in evaporation can be attained simply by sealing the barrel chimes, i. e., the bevelled ends of thestaves, despite the fact that they present, as a whole, relatively remote evaporating surfaces and represent a very small part of the total evaporating surface.

The principal object of my invention, therefore, is to provide a, wooden aging barrel having its chimes coated with an impervious tllm.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a fragmentary portion of one end of a barrel; and

Figure 2 is a section taken along line 2--2 of Figure l.

A conventional whiskey barrel 4consists of a number of wooden staves lI annularly arranged to form an open-ended cylinder having a central outward bilge. The cylinder has at'each end a bevelled'annular surface or chime 2, and, on its inner face adjacent each end, an annular recessed surface or howel 3, containinlactual practice that, while a seal of this character covers a relatively small area, approxilmately 3 to 5% of the total outer surface area loi' theA barrel, and, although it is rather distantrepeated on barrels' having 1116 staves'. Theresultsthereof are tabulated as follows:

Average loss in Sta weight per barrel lcductinti vev weig 1 storage time thickness loss of coat- Uncoated Coated cd barrels end grain end grain 'Inches Pounds Pounds Per con! 5 months 3A 3.8 3. 3 13 10 months i M 12. 2 10 9 1l 1Mo 2. 2 l. 8 18 1Mo 6'. 3 5. 2 17 Upon reference to lthis tabulation, it will be seen that the reduction in evaporation in the thinner barrels approximates 12 to 13% and in the thicker barrels 17 to 18%.-

While various coating materials may be employed, good results can be obtained by using either a varnish composed of a synthetic resin dispersed in an organic solvent or a water-soling a centrally arranged annular groove or croze I. Each end of the cylinder is closed by a head B having a marginal taper 6 terminating in a peripheral bead 1 which fits within the croze t.

The staves yl are cut so that the grain of the wood runs lengthwise of the staves whereby the ends thereof present end grain surfaces. During the barrel-manufacturing process, after the cylinder is initially fabricated from the staves, it is fired on the inside to char the stave surfaces, machined to form the chimes,vhowels and crozes, and thereafter provided with the heads.

In accordance with my invention, the end grains of the staves, including the chimes 2, are sealed with a film 8 (see Figure 2) having a low permeability preferably to both the gas and liquid phases of the'barrel contents. I have found uble compound having .either sodium silicate or casein as the nlm-forming ingredient. If desired, a preformed Cellophane-like material comprising plasticizers and pigments, freed from solvents and volatile vehicles, may be attached to the end grain by the application of heat or by means of some adhesive such as shellac dispersed in pure grain alcohol.

The iilm may be applied before or after the barrel is completely fabricated. In some cases,

. the heat remaining in the barrel from the char- 3. An improvement in wooden-liquor-aging barrels composed of staves and heads, thesta'ves forming a cylinder having an inner wall croze adjacent to but spaced somewhat from each end, and the heads being jointed into the Crozes, comprising: a coating of sealing material on the ends of the staves to reduce outage, the surfaces of the staves being otherwise substantially free of sealing material.

MILTON GALLAGHER. 

